Pioneer raises the standard with new plasma TVs

Shortly, Pioneer will launch 32- and 37-inch LCD televisions but available now are fantastic new 50- and 60-inch plasma sets. (Unfortunately, the company no longer makes a 42-inch model.)

Pioneer's plasma sets have always been stunning. Every range the company has produced has offered the best picture quality when compared with what other brands have produced. The last KURO range (Pioneer's 8th generation of plasma sets) received sensational (and hugely deserved) reviews and sold tremendously well. Somehow, with the new range, the company has improved the picture quality even further.

The new models (the 50-inch PDP-LX5090 and the 60-inch PDP-LX6090) share the same features. Despite having a massive screen size, both sets are just 93mm deep. Analogue and Freeview tuners are built-in, as is a USB socket to view pictures from other devices. Picture-in-picture is available and connections are plentiful, including 3 HDMI sockets, a headphone output, and digital and analogue outputs to connect to external amplifiers.

The displays are 1080p panels, meaning that every detail in pictures output by, say, a Blu-ray player is transferred to the screen. Combining the full HD specification with Pioneer's picture processing technology, the new plasmas reproduce stunning levels of detail.

The sets are also capable of showing movies at 24 frames per second so, if a set is connected to a suitable Blu-ray player, you can view the film just as the director intended, rather than at the quicker speed of 25fps. (If you've ever wondered why films aren't as long on DVD as they were at the cinema, now you know why - it's not that scenes were omitted from the DVD!)

If you'd like to watch TV without switching on an external surround-sound amp, different speaker options are available: either undermounted or side-mounted. Different plinths are available too: a rigid stand (as shown above) or a very attractive variant that allows the screen to be swivelled. Wall brackets are also available.

Pioneer televisions aren't the cheapest sets on the market but you get what you pay for. They still represent fantastic value for money (hence why they consistently win group tests based on value against far cheaper sets). Call in to see why they're worth every penny.